1989 Chevrolet C2500 tire sizes & fitment
Approved tire and wheel sizes for the 1989 Chevrolet C2500, sourced from manufacturer fitment data and refreshed monthly.
Approved fitments
| Tire size | Rim size | PCD (bolt pattern) | Offset | Load index | Speed rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 225/75R16 OEM | R16 | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| 245/75R16 OEM | R16 | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A |
Best by use case
Four tires, four jobs
See the best tires for the Chevrolet C2500, ranked by category →
Tire recalls & safety complaints for the Chevrolet C2500 →
Compatible alternative sizes for 225/75R16
Sizes within the ETRTO ±3% overall-diameter safe-fit tolerance. Each row links to the size's own page.
| Alternative size | %Δ OD | Category | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|
195/80R17 |
-0.01% | plus 1 | Safe |
205/70R18 |
0.04% | plus 2 | Safe |
215/85R15 |
0.35% | winter narrower | Safe |
225/70R17 |
0.39% | plus 1 | Safe |
225/80R15 |
-0.39% | alternative | Safe |
For the full list of alternatives with comfort/handling impact, see 225/75R16 upsize options. To check an arbitrary size pair, use the tire compatibility calculator.
Check a different size against this vehicle
Type any tire size below; we'll compute its overall-diameter delta against the OEM 225/75R16 and verdict using the ETRTO ±3% rule.
Common upgrade paths
- Plus-1: 195/80R17; one rim size up, -0.01% OD change. Sharper steering, mild ride penalty, modest cost premium.
- Plus-2: 205/70R18; two rim sizes up, 0.04% OD change. Noticeable ride penalty, higher pothole risk, meaningful tire-cost premium.
Use the plus-size calculator to evaluate any rim step against the OEM size.
How to choose tires for the 1989 chevrolet C2500 pick-up-2wd
The 1989 Chevrolet C2500 Pick-up-2wd ships from the factory on 225/75R16 tires mounted on R16 wheels. 2 approved fitments are documented for this model year, allowing some flexibility between performance, comfort, and winter compounds. The Compatible alternative sizes table above lists every safe substitution within the ETRTO ±3% overall-diameter tolerance.
Tire choice on the Chevrolet C2500 comes down to three trade-offs that matter more than brand loyalty: load index (must equal or exceed the OEM number), speed rating (must match or exceed the placard), and UTQG treadwear (higher means longer life, lower usually means stickier rubber). Owners replacing factory tires with the same compound class, for example all-season for all-season, generally see no change in ride characteristics or fuel economy. Switching categories (performance summer to all-season touring, for example) is where the trade-offs show up at the contact patch.
For 1989 Chevrolet C2500 Pick-up-2wd owners considering a plus-size upgrade, the safer option is a Plus-1 step (one rim size up with a 10-point aspect drop and ~10 mm of additional section width). Plus-2 is technically viable on this chassis if the alternative-sizes table lists a Plus-2 candidate within tolerance, but expect a meaningful ride-harshness penalty and a tire-cost premium of 30–60% per tire relative to the OEM fitment. For winter use the recommended pattern is one width step down (e.g. from a 235 to a 225) with the aspect ratio bumped up to preserve overall diameter; narrower tires apply higher contact pressure per square inch on snow, which translates directly into shorter braking distances. The plus-size calculator evaluates any specific rim step against this OEM size.
Before purchasing, verify the tire size on the driver-door placard of your specific 1989 Chevrolet C2500 Pick-up-2wd, since trim levels and option packages can shift the original fitment from what is documented here. The placard reading is the authoritative source per FMVSS 110, and dealers will reference the placard rather than aftermarket catalogs when validating warranty claims.
NHTSA-reported issues for 1989 chevrolet C2500
Top issue category: Tires (General)
Most reported: Tires (General) (1) · Tread / Belt (1)
Reported across: 1989 – 1989 (1 year)
What owners described
Sidewall failure appears in 36% of these reports; about 2.4× as often as across all tire complaints. Percentages are shares of the 11 reports covering every model year of the Chevrolet C2500 that include a written account; a single report can describe more than one problem, so they do not total 100%.
| Reported problem | This subject | All tire complaints | Relative |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sidewall failure | 36% | 15% | 2.4× |
| Tread or belt separation | 27% | 13% | 2.0× |
| Blowout or sudden deflation | 27% | 20% | 1.4× |
| Cracking or dry rot | 18% | 9% | 2.0× |
| Loss of control, rollover or collision | 18% | 8% | 2.2× |
| Bubble or bulge in the tire | 9% | 6% | 1.5× |
Mileage at failure
5 of these reports state an odometer reading. The middle report is at 16,251 miles, with 8 in 10 falling between 5,000 and 27,602 miles.
In owners' own words
Verbatim excerpts from complaints filed with NHTSA about Chevrolet C2500. Reports are published by NHTSA as filed and are lightly cleaned here only to remove intake codes.
PE00 020; CONSUMER WAS TRAVELING ABOUT 70MPH ON HIGHWAY AND SAID THAT TIRE SOUNDED LIKE A GUN SHOT. RIGHT REAR TIRE EXPLODED. SHE WAS ABLE TO PULL OVER WITHOUT A PROBLEM. SECOND INCIDENT HAPPENED WHEN SHE WAS TRAVELING ABOUT 65MPH ON THE ROAD AND WAS GOING TO PULL INTO REST AREA. A SECOND TIRE BLEWOUT ON LEFT REAR. THERE WERE NO INJURIES. FIRESTONE FIREHAWK, R45LT26575R16. LOAD RANGE C.*AK FIRESTONE 265/75/R16
PE00 020; CONSUMER WAS TRAVELING ABOUT 70MPH ON HIGHWAY AND HEARD A LOUD NOISE BECAUSE TREAD WAS HITTING UP AGAINT VEHICLE. HE WAS ABLE TO PULL OVER TO THE SHOULDERS. THERE WERE TWO INCIDENTS, SECOND INCIDENT WAS ON RIGHT REAR TIRE, AND FIRST INCIDENT WAS ON LEFT REAR TIRE WHERE TREAD HAD SEPARATED. TIRES WERE BRIDGESTONE, FIRESTONE, 2657516, DULLER#HT. THERE WERE NO INJURIES REPORTED.
THIS HAPPENED TO BOTH REAR TIRES WITHIN TWO WEEKS OF EACH OTHER 9/27/00 AND 10/12/00. TREAD FLEW OFF AT HWY SPEEDS. CONTACTED MANUFACTURER, WHO GAVE ME A BOGUS NUMBER TO CALL. I HAVE EMAIL SAVED IF YOU WISH TO VIEW MY EMAIL TO THEM AND THEIR RESPONSE PASSING THE BUCK TO SEARS/NTB (WITH A BOGUS NUMBER, NO LESS). THESE OCCURRENCES DAMAGED OUR COMPANY TRUCK. WE DO NOT FEEL THAT IT IS "JUST A COINCIDENCE". (TIRESIZE: 245/75 R16)( DOT NUMBER: TIRE SIZE: 245/75 R16 )
1993, CHEVROLET C2500, ABOUT 5,000 MILES ON THE TIRES, TIRE SIZE LT24575R16. WHILE DRIVING THERE IS VIBRATION WHICH MAY CAUSE A LOSS OF VEHICLE CONTROL. TOOK TO CHEVROLET DEALER. DEALER STATED IT WAS BAD TIRE, AND ONE OF THE TIRES HAD A BULGE IN IT. WENT TO A TIRE PLACE AND THEY CONFIRMED WHAT DEALER SAID. ALSO, INDICATED THAT WHEELS OF THE TRUCK WERE DEFECTIVE. *AK DEALER FOUND ONE OF THE TIRES TO HAVE SIDEWALL/TREAD SEPARATION. DOT#MK11JNHV449 - GOODYEAR WORKHORSE TIRES. *SLC
Complaints are voluntarily submitted to the NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation and are not verified by NHTSA; they represent owner-reported problems, not proven defects. Counts can be useful as a relative quality signal across comparable tires or vehicles.
Frequently asked questions
What size tires fit a 1989 Chevrolet C2500?
Can I run a different tire size on my 1989 Chevrolet C2500?
Where can I buy tires for my 1989 Chevrolet C2500?
What is the recommended tire pressure for the 1989 Chevrolet C2500?
Can I fit winter tires in a different size on my 1989 Chevrolet C2500?
How often should I rotate the tires on my 1989 Chevrolet C2500?
For broader tire questions; replacement timing, UTQG, EV-specific tires, winter swaps; see the tire FAQ.
Sources for this page
- Vehicle owner's manual tire & wheel placard; door-jamb placard on the Chevrolet C2500 is the authoritative source for OEM tire size, load index, and cold-inflation pressure for your specific trim.
- NHTSA SaferCar; recall lookup for the 1989 Chevrolet C2500.
- ETRTO 2024 Standards Manual §2.3; overall-diameter math used for the alternative-size verdicts above.
- Tire & Rim Association 2025 Yearbook; load-index to maximum-load reference.
Last verified 2026-09-02.